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Post by oldie on Oct 21, 2020 4:39:32 GMT
On our homestead, we have some laying hens, some meat birds, and blue gil fish in an Aquaponics set-up. We are working on getting the fencing bought so we can add a few goats for milk and meat. That part may have to wait till spring though, but maybe not. We looked into cattle, but thats too much of an investment, and we have a neighbor that we can buy beef from. Let us know your plans or ideas.
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Post by oldie on Oct 26, 2020 0:46:06 GMT
It looks like we are going to try to add a few Nubian goats. Tomorrow will tell, we will be trying to get the fence located. The local feed store had it in stock last month, I hope they still have enough. I will keep you posted as we move forward.
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Post by aariell on Oct 29, 2020 3:11:10 GMT
We have 3 varieties of dual purpose chickens. We buy our raw milk from Camelot over in Marionville. Pork and beef are local from friends. I'm working on finding goats right now. We also have a Great Pyrenees, Cotton, to watch over the place. Travis, I just watched one of your videos with your dog. He's beautiful! Do you sell puppies? I made the mistake of getting ours fixed.
Crislyn
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Post by twiley on Oct 29, 2020 3:32:53 GMT
i have an intact male. he is 3/4 Pyrenees an 1/4 Anatolian Shepard. if you need a male for stud let me know. he is a city slicker lol hasn't been on a farm since 6 months old he is roughly 4 yrs old if previous owners were correct on his age. he is a gorgeous boy.
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Post by oldie on Oct 29, 2020 23:09:49 GMT
Well I may have waited to long to buy that fence. The local farm store is out and not sure when or if they will get any in before spring. Now the hunt begins. If you are needing things folks and can afford to get it, don't wait, it may not be there when you want it.
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Post by aariell on Oct 30, 2020 15:18:26 GMT
Try Orchlen and Tractor Supply. This past week I've been to Nixa, Republic, Hollister and Monett stores. They all have various fencing in stock.
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Post by oldie on Oct 31, 2020 5:45:45 GMT
I will be checking the local MFA's and Ace hardware on Monday.
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otom
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by otom on Oct 31, 2020 13:34:26 GMT
Currently have laying hens and I am in year 3 of developing a breeding fish population, bass and bluegill. Maybe ducks for meat in the future. Seems the bird feeder is a great place for squirrel hunting.
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shawnb
Junior Member
Posts: 51 
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Post by shawnb on Dec 1, 2020 2:57:50 GMT
We are raising some Dexter cattle, hopefully the cow is bred and we can train her to milk....don't know what we are doing yet.
As to the why.....I read a book called Cottage Economy (you can listen to it on YouTube), and the book said a dairy cow is the backbone of a cottage.
The extra milk can be used to feed your animals...Chickens, pigs, dogs. Our thoughts are to feed the family first, sell as much as we can and then use whatever is left to feed the animals.
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Post by oldie on Dec 8, 2020 5:21:09 GMT
shawnb....we looked at raising cattle on our homestead. My wife was a dairy farmer in IL before we got married, so I respect her input. She tells me that we don't have the infrastructure in place to raise cattle. The wild animals around here alone would present a major problem. Since we don't have the room to grow our own hay or grain, the feed cost alone would be hard to handle. Plowing up pasture, sowing good grass, building a barn, milking parlor, cooler and milking equipment would run way over our budget. However we do wish the very best in your operation, and please keep us posted on your progress.
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shawnb
Junior Member
Posts: 51
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Post by shawnb on Dec 8, 2020 6:16:42 GMT
Oldie...We only plan on milking 2-3 cows so I don't think it will get too out of hand. That was an unintentional pun...because we will be hand milking.
One of our requirements for the land was to be able to have cows. It has a fenced pasture and we intend to claim back overgrown pasture as well.
We will see how it goes and keep you informed.
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Post by oldie on Dec 9, 2020 5:13:23 GMT
shawnb sounds good. We were planning on trying to raise goats, but for now that is on hold. It seems like we are getting older and the work keeps growing more and more. Not sure we really need to take on building infrastructure building and livestock at this point. We still need to get together, I haven't forgot about you.
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Post by oldie on Jun 14, 2021 4:38:17 GMT
Well it's 6 months since the last update. Things are still on hold, after my injury and being laid up for several months. The price increases in lumber, fencing, and feed shortages, I just don't see how we can move forward right now. Hopefully we will get it figured out and get back on some kind of a plan.
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Post by bigfoot2 on Sept 26, 2021 10:10:29 GMT
Oldie,
Have you thought about a co-op type situation? What about getting together with a few other families and pooling resources? I, for one, would be willing to put up some money towards buying an interest in some animals and sharing the results. Some could contribute money, others time, etc? The initial costs for animals, feed, fencing and labor, medical could then be spread out between partners and it would not be so hard to get it up and running. The same goes for buying a cow or two to butcher. One cow between two families is a lot cheaper than trying to pay for/freeze one all on your own.
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Post by oldie on Sept 28, 2021 1:08:53 GMT
bigfoot2, that's a good idea.
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